After attending a friend’s birthday party in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor area, two teenagers returning home were chased by a group of people and later taken to the police station, in an incident filed as a case of ‘love jihad’ under the controversial new anti-conversion law.
The incident took place over a week ago. Since then the Muslim boy has been behind over accusations of trying to forcibly convert the 16-year-old Hindu girl. However, both of them have denied the charges.
On December 14, around 10:30 pm, when the duo was walking back home after a friend’s birthday party, they were allegedly chased by a group of men, beaten with sticks and questioned. When it was known that both belonged to different religions, they were taken away to a local police station.
The 17-year-old boy was booked under the new anti-conversion law and charges of abduction and under sections of the SC/ST Act, and POCSO Act.
According to The Indian Express report, an FIR has been registered on a complaint filed allegedly by the girl’s father, stating the boy had ‘induced the girl to elope with him’ with the ‘intention to marry and convert her’.
To the shocker, the girl’s father alleged that the police forced him to register a statement. ‘I trust my daughter completely. What wrong did she do? Why must she be made part of politics? Is it unlawful for a boy and a girl to walk together now?’ the media quoted the father as saying.
Speaking to the media, the girl said she stands firm on her statement of being wrongfully accused and has conveyed the same to the magistrate. ‘Those men had a problem with me walking with my friend. They made videos of me and are now labelling it as love jihad. I did nothing wrong. I went of my own free will,’ the girl said.
The FIR was filed at Dhampur Police Station. Station House Officer, Arun Kumar told the media that the boy was sent to judicial custody. He said the police had invoked appropriate sections in the case after questioning the girl and based on her father’s complaint.
On the other hand, the father alleged that the local pradhan for politicising the incident to defame him, as he was planning to contest the upcoming elections. ‘I have been pradhan before and was planning to contest again. But now they have shamed my daughter and polarised the village.’
Denying the allegations, the incumbent pradhan said that he was with him and helped the father file the complaint. ‘Ye hara hua pradhan hai‘ (He is a pradhan who lost), he said.
The boy’s family has alleged the police has filed a false case against him.
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